Eating vegetables may prevent hardening of the arteries, research suggests. US researchers found 38% less build up of fatty deposits in the arteries of mice who were fed a mixture of vegetables, including carrots and peas. Evidence on the effects of diet on atherosclerosis in humans is not clear but eating fruit and vegetables is known to protect against heart disease. The study in the Journal of Nutrition said the average person only eats three portions of fruit and veg a day. The researchers from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine assessed the effect of diet on heart disease by studying mice that had been specially bred to rapidly develop atherosclerosis - the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries which can eventually block blood flow leading to heart attacks and strokes.... http://news.bbc.co.uk

The ice-covered mountaintops are shrouded by fog. A stream gushes against the rocks on a headlong rush to the lake. High above the deserted visitors' parking lot, an elk stares at a lone hiker. Glacier National Park is an island, a sanctuary from the outside world. For how long? To the west, subdivisions, vacation homes and large chain stores march toward its borders. To the north, bulldozers pause for the winter before pushing deeper through the forests to a planned coal mine in the Canadian Flathead River Valley. To the south, an emotional debate rages over whether to allow oil and gas interests to explore a sacred Blackfoot Indian plot. From above, gradual warming continues to nibble away at the park's famed glaciers. Once as many as 150, they barely number 35 today. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-18-parkpressures_x.htm?csp=34

A senior Volkswagen executive has denied a report that the firm may cut an extra 10,000 jobs, but admitted the situation at the company was "serious". VW personnel chief Horst Neumann insisted he had never suggested any plans to extend February's warning of a possible 20,000 cuts over three years. "There is no reason to panic, and certainly no reason to create panic," he told the Reuters news agency. VW has warned that 20,000 job cuts may be needed to boost productivity. Most of the cuts are expected at its core VW car business, where it is continuing with a three-year restructuring plan, and has said some of its German plants are currently too expensive. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5091882.stm

Wen Jiabao, China's prime minister, has arrived in Africa for a tour of seven states aimed at boosting economic links and securing raw material supplies. He flew into Egypt at the start of the trip which will also take him to Ghana, South Africa and four other countries. Deals for oil, copper, timber and other resources are expected to be discussed. Chinese manufacturers are also seeking new markets, correspondents say. Trade between China and Africa rose to $40bn (£22bn) last year. That total has quadrupled in the last five years. Mr Wen will also visit Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Tanzania and Uganda during his visit. His trip comes at a time of growing Chinese interest in the continent. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5090158.stm

Mike Slabaugh doesn't have a stomach. Neither do his 10 cousins. Growing up, they watched helplessly as a rare hereditary stomach cancer killed their grandmother and some of their parents, aunts and uncles. Determined to outsmart the cancer, they turned to genetic testing. Upon learning they had inherited Grandmother Golda Bradfield's flawed gene, these were their options: Risk the odds that they might not develop cancer, with a 70 percent chance they would; or have their stomachs removed. The latter would mean a challenging life of eating very little, very often. All the cousins chose the life-changing operation. Doctors say they're the largest family to have preventive surgery to protect themselves from hereditary...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2090300

The Spanish region of Catalonia is voting on a new charter that would declare it a nation within Spain. If the "yes" vote for greater autonomy is successful, Catalonia, in the north-east, would become one of Europe's most independent regions. The draft plan allows for more independence in areas such as how tax is spent and immigration policies. Latest opinion polls suggest most Catalans favour the plan, but more than half of all Spaniards reject it. The proposal is supported by the Spanish government, Catalonia's ruling Socialists and moderate nationalists, but it is opposed by both the conservative Popular Party and leftists who favour outright independence. Less than a sixth of Spain's population lives in Catalonia but the region accounts for a fifth of the country's economy. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5091572.stm